


Linked Minds

by Annie999



Category: VIXX
Genre: M/M, Mental Link, Minor Character Death, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-08-13 18:38:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7981963
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annie999/pseuds/Annie999
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sanghyuk's parents are killed on his eighteenth birthday. His mind reaches out for help after the trauma and finds Taekwoon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Best Birthday Ever, Almost

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first chaptered story that I am going to be putting out. I am not very confident in my writing yet, and I'm a bit of perfectionist, so updates will take a while. I'll try to update at least once a month, but, unfortunately, I make no promises.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!
> 
> Oh, this story is also posted of AFF, so if you see it, it's still me! ^-^

Sanghyuk woke up to the sun shining into his eyes, and his overly cheerful mother excitedly telling him to wake up. He grumbled and rolled out of the bed, landing on his feet. Why was she waking him up so early? Wasn't it a Saturday? Then he remembered, oh yeah, it's his eighteenth birthday. Now he was excited too. He rushed to grab something to wear from his closet. He saw his favorite sweater was clean, so he grabbed it and quickly put it on. It didn't take him long to finish dressing, and when he was done he went downstairs to bother his parents about what they had gotten him for his birthday.

"Dad..." Sanghyuk said with a mischievous grin on his face. "What did you get me? Is it a new sweater?"

"No." 

"Is it... a new game system?"

"No." His dad said a slight grin creeping onto his face.

Sanghyuk thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up in excitement. "Is it socks?"

"God no!" His father said laughing. Sanghyuk broke into laughter too, he had known it wasn't going to be socks, but his dad was too much fun to tease and joke around with.

"So, what is it?"

"You are too impatient for your own good. Wait until after breakfast at least, then I'll talk to your mother about when you get your present, assuming we got you one." He teased with a smirk, causing Sanghyuk to immediately pout.

Despite being slightly upset, Sanghyuk waited to pester his father until after they had eaten the waffles that his mom had made. As soon as he had swallowed his last bite however, Sanghyuk started to resume his guessing and nagging. He was so intent on guessing that his parents told him that they had decided to wait until he guessed correctly to give him his present. This caused him to instantly start whining about how he would stop guessing if they gave him his present. After a few minutes of persuasion his parents decided that he could finally have his gift. 

Instead of going to their bedroom like he had thought they would to grab whatever they had gotten him they covered his eyes. With their hands on his face, blocking him from seeing anything they led him through the house. He got extremely confused when it seemed like they were leading him outside. Then it hit him. Surely they hadn't gotten him what he was thinking of. When they finally uncovered his eyes he was ecstatic to see that they had indeed gotten him what he had wanted, but hadn't asked for. A car.

His mouth dropped open as his eyes landed on the beautiful, brand new car in the driveway. It had a giant bow on it like the ones in the commercials on TV. His parents were truly the best. He tried his best to not squeal, but he partially failed as a high pitched sound left his throat. He hugged his mom, then his dad and begged them to go on a drive with him. They nodded and his mother handed him the key as they piled into the vehicle. 

"Mom, can we go on the road?" Sanghyuk asked excitedly.

"Oh, yeah! Honey, please, can we go on the road?" He father joined, just as excited as his son.

"I don't understand why you two like that road so much..." She paused when she saw the pouting expressions they were both giving her. "Fine."

Both males loudly cheered as Sanghyuk started the car and headed in the direction of the road. To be honest, there wasn't anything truly special about the road itself. It was just a dirt road in the middle of nowhere. It was the scenery that was special. On either side of the road there was nothing but trees, and on a bright summer day like today, the sun shined through the branches making the forest feel like something out of a fairy tale. It made his mother nervous because there were a lot of curves on the road that his father took at high speeds, so she liked to avoid it, but since it was his birthday she was going to make an exception.

On their way to their destination they chatted happily about their plans for the rest of the day. However, as soon as they reached the road they were heading for, all conversation ceased and a pleasant silence encompassed them. They each peered out the windows admiring the trees. It truly looked magical. Sanghyuk loved fantasy, and could imagine fairies and centaurs hiding deep in the woods, watching cautiously as they passed, before informing everyone that they were gone and it was safe to come out. He sighed, knowing that they weren't real, and, no matter how much he wanted it to be so, magic wasn't real. 

The road wasn't that long, and they were soon off it. They had decided to go swimming at the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Afterwards they would get ice cream and go home,wrapping up the perfect birthday. The bright sun and heat caused the beach to be rather full of people. Nevertheless, Sanghyuk and his parents had a great time playing in the water. They ran around and splashed each other wildly. When they tired they let themselves float in the water and talk about small things, just letting the waves move their bodies gently up and down. It was relaxing, they didn't have to put much effort into remaining afloat, so at one point his father almost fell asleep. When the skin on their fingers shriveled, they decided it was finally time to leave the beach to get ice cream. 

At the ice cream parlor they joked with each other about what was the best flavor, getting offended when their favorite got insulted. In the end, they all ate a little of each other's dessert and agreed that their three favorite flavors were definitely the best, though none could agree on which one was number one.

The drive home was spent joking about the day; laughing at his father for getting ice cream on his nose, teasing his mom for being flirted with by a life guard at the beach, mocking himself for tripping down the stairs to the changing rooms. By the time they walked into the house their sides hurt so badly that it was hard to stand up straight. They put their belongings away and decided that they were going to have a family movie night. They sat together on the couch, Sanghyuk was positioned with his father on his left and his mother on his right. They were squished, but comfortable. 

They watched action movies, they all enjoyed the sound of fast cars and loud fighting pouring from the screen. Sanghyuk watched with fascination as the protagonist did elaborate maneuvers to evade the antagonist's lackeys as they tried to capture or kill them. The volume was up extremely loud, almost to the point where it was hurting his ears but he didn't mind, at this point nothing could ruin his day.

It all happened in the blink of an eye, he heard a loud noise from behind him to his left. He whipped his head around, there was a man standing behind the couch. He glanced at his dad to see if he knew who the man was. He finally understood what the noise had been as he saw his dad slumped backwards, blood gushing from the hole in his head. Sanghyuk blinked and everything started to move slower than it usually did, or at least it felt like it slowed. He turned to his mother, hoping that she would be laughing at his expression because her and dad had played a prank on him but she was looking wide eyed at the man behind the sofa. She opened her mouth to scream, but the only noise that could be heard was another loud gunshot. Sanghyuk watched as the bullet entered his mother, the world coming back from its previous slow motion to normal speed, and he went numb. 

Tears leapt into his eyes as he processed the situation. His parent's killer made eye contact with him and smirked. "Oh, aren't you a pretty thing? Yes, you are." The man asked in a sickeningly sweet voice. "It would be a waste to kill you, wouldn't it? Yes, yes, it would. How about we have some fun? Hmm, let's." He reached down and caressed Sanghyuk's face. The touch on his cheek didn't stay for long as the man reached down to try to rub his lips.

Fortunately, the police were there already. A woman and a man rushed in. The officers wasted no time in disarming and handcuffing the man while he was distracted with Sanghyuk. Sanghyuk stumbled away from the couch and the bodies of his parents, heading in an unknown direction so he could be away from them, and didn't have to face reality. He could hear one of the police officers asking him where he was going, but he ignored them. He made his way into the hallway, which he soon realized was a mistake when he saw himself in the decorative mirror.

He had small splatters of red all over his face. His mother's blood. The world went fuzzy and started to spin, it was hard to remain standing so he fell to the floor as his vision began to fade and everything went black.

 


	2. First Contact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leo and Hyuk meet for the first time.

Sanghyuk felt like he was swimming. Deep under the water's surface, so deep, that when he opened his eyes he could see nothing but darkness. It took him a second to realize that the water was tinged with red, and was indeed not water at all. It all came back to him in a flash, his father and mother were dead. He fought fiercely at the hands of blood that tried pulled him down further. He flailed his arms around, seeking to pull himself away, but there was nothing to grab. He kicked his legs, finally freeing his feet from the evil below. He swam upward with all his might, the surface just a little further, and forever getting farther. He felt his chest tightening at the lack of oxygen, his lungs screamed at him to open his mouth and breath. He tried to fight it, knowing it would mean his death.

He was about to give in, his mouth slightly open, lungs preparing to take in as much as they could, as a man appeared in his vision. He swam swiftly towards Sanghyuk. He watched as the man grabbed his wrist and pulled him upwards. His chest burned, and he clenched his eyes shut, willing himself to wait just a little longer. The surface didn't flee from him this time, he was brought steadily closer until he felt air on his face. His mouth flew open, taking the biggest breath of air possible. Sanghyuk focused on breathing as the man who had rescued him pulled him towards a small boat bobbing a short distance from them. He was thrown into it when they got there, the man flopping down seconds later, breathing hard.

"Are you okay?" The man said breathlessly.

"I think so, at least... physically."

"But not mentally?"

"I... I don't know." Sanghyuk wasn't sure. He felt like he wanted to cry, scream, sleep, and laugh, all at once. Cry because his parents were gone, scream at the unfairness of it, sleep so he didn't have to deal with it, and laugh at the irony. His parents had died on his birthday, one of the best birthdays he had ever had.

"What happened for you to be here?" The man asked.

"I don't know where 'here' is."

"Oh, this is, well, technically, this is your mind. Or, more accurately, a link between my mind and yours."

"Wait, what? A link?"

"Do I need to explain everything? Didn't your parents tell you about this type of thing?"

At the mention of his parent Sanghyuk felt a knot form in his stomach and his thoughts stop. The waves in the water seemed to become more turbulent as his feelings did.

"Woah, it's okay. Calm down. It's okay." The man comforted as he sat up, pulling Sanghyuk with him. He wrapped his arm around the smaller male and rubbed his back. When Sanghyuk finally calmed down some the man resumed talking. "How old are you?"

"Eighteen." Sanghyuk said, voice barely a whisper.

"When did you turn eighteen?"

"Yesterday... or today... I don't even know."

"That makes sense then, your parents haven't gotten to explain yet."

Sanghyuk tried to hold back his tears, but they were finally released in a landslide. He hugged tightly on to the stranger and cried into his neck. "N-no, they h-haven't. A-nd they n-never will." He managed to choke out.

"Oh." Was all the man said, finally understanding. He rubbed the younger male's back, waiting for him to clam down. The waves crashed into their boat and the sky turned a dark grey at Sanghyuk's emotions. It took him a while to regain control of his emotions.

"You are going to need to go back." the man said calmly. "Time is the same here as the outside world."

"How am I supposed to get back?"

"Do you want me to send you back? I can, if you need it."

"Would you, please? I don't think I could figure it out on my own." Sanghyuk replied, voice shaking slightly. "How can I find you if I fall into my mind again?"

"Our minds are linked now, we can communicate whenever we wish. I'll explain everything, just not right now. You need to sleep. Goodbye, Sanghyuk."

♦♦♦

Sanghyuk woke up briefly from the strange dream to bright lights and the smell of a hospital room. He ignored his surroundings, rolled onto his side and tried to go back to sleep.

The next time Sanghyuk woke there was a nurse at his side, checking his pulse.

"Oh, good. I'm glad you're awake." The nurse said cheerfully. Sanghyuk could tell from his outfit that the nurse was a cheerful man. His scrub shirt had smiley faces everywhere. "Your vitals are all good, and you have no injures. You just fainted, most likely from shock. Now, the policemen outside asked to speak to you, but I told them that they had to wait until you felt up to it. If you want I'll call them in, or they can wait a little while longer, but as soon as they know you're awake they are going to nag and nag and nag until they get to talk to you. They are very impatient people..." The man continued to ramble about incidents with police officers in the hospital that he had seen.

While the man was talking Sanghyuk's thoughts wandered. Surely, it had all been a dream? His parent's death, and the man in his mind. But why was he in the hospital with the police waiting for him if his parents were alive? There was a dull throbbing pain in his chest, but that was all he felt. He was also confused, the man had told him that his parents would have explained what was happening to his mind, but they couldn't and now the man was gone too. He didn't know why, but the idea of the man leaving him, was almost as depressing as the thought of never seeing his parents again. Maybe it was because the man was the first person he spoke to after the... the murder. Or it could have been because the man had such a comfortable air about him, that Sanghyuk felt close to him.

He was pulled from his thoughts as a very familiar looking police officer walked into the room, slamming the door loudly behind him. Sanghyuk jumped at the loud sound, it reminded him of gunshots.

"Why didn't you tell us he was awake?" he snapped at the nurse, who flinched away.

"I told you, you need to wait outside until I came to get you."

"Look, I'm sorry. It has been a rough night." The officer sighed, running his hands through his balding hair. "Sanghyuk, is that right? Are you feeling up to talking to us now? If you aren't that's fine, but the sooner the better."

Sanghyuk nodded, he didn't want the officer to snap at him as well. "Okay, good. We have several questions we need answered, if you'll give me one second, I have to grab some paper." The man left the room. A few minutes after he left the nurse exited the room, and a doctor had come in.

"I need to do a general examination before you can leave." The woman explained before beginning her 'examination'.

"Okay." Sanghyuk mumbled, throat sore and mouth dry. It didn't take longer for her to complete whatever she was doing, and when she departed the officer came in.

"Now then, I've got the paper, let's get on with the questions. Did you know the man who killed your parents?"

Sanghyuk shook his head.

"Do you have any guess as to why he would have chosen you and your family?"

He again shook his head. He continued to shake or nod his head to the man's questions, only speaking when the question couldn't be answered in a yes or no. The nurse that was there when he woke up came in while they were going through their Q&A to bring him some water, which he gladly took. By the time that the questions were over, he felt exhausted and depressed. He sighed in relief as the man turned to leave.

"Wait, I have one final question," he said, turning back to the hospital bed that Sanghyuk was now sitting on, legs crossed, ready to leave. "Do you have anywhere else to live? Like with a relative or friends?"

Sanghyuk thought for a moment, most of his family lived in different cities and his friends didn't have the room or the money to support another person. He did have an uncle who lived not too far from his house, but he creeped everyone out, and if Sanghyuk could avoid it, he wouldn't stay there. 

"No, I don't." He finally said. "Since I'm eighteen, I can live on my own, so I'll just stay in my house. A-assuming I can..." Sanghyuk stuttered realizing that his parents had to be... cleaned up.

"You should be able to." The officer nodded lightly and left.

He wasn't alone long before the doctor came back in, telling him that he was free to leave and there was nothing wrong with him. One of the police officers had been kind enough to grab him clothes from home, so he quickly changed into to them, signed himself out of the hospital, and was driven home by the balding policeman.

Neither of them spoke the entire ride to his house, and when they got there the officer told him that the house had been cleaned that afternoon and the murder trail would be held the next Thursday at 3 pm. Then he left, leaving Sanghyuk alone in his living room. He stared at the floor for a long time, at the spot where the couch used to be. The people who cleaned the blood must have taken it, he thought dryly. He would have stayed in the same position for longer, if he hadn't got annoyed by the beeping of the phone. He pressed the button, telling the machine to play the messages.

"There are twenty-seven new messages. Message one, Saturday 8:18 am."

"Hey, Hyuk... It's Wonshik, call me when you get a chance. Bye." 

"Message erased. Message two, Saturday 9 am."

"Hey, man, it's Wonshik again--"

"Message erased. Message three, Saturday 10:01 am."

"Hi, Hyukkie, it's Jaehwan. Call--"

Sanghyuk repeated the process listening to a couple seconds of each message before deleting it.

"Message erased. Message twenty, Sunday 12:36 pm."

"Sanghyuk! You call me right now--"

"Message erased. Message twenty-seven, Sunday 3:19 pm."

"I'm coming over." Sanghyuk didn't have time to delete the short message before it ended. He looked at the clock it was 7 pm. Wonshik must have come over around the time that the cleaning company was there. Sanghyuk sighed, Wonshik probably knew that his parents were dead then. The phone started ringing, and Sanghyuk stared at it until the caller started leaving a message.

"Sanghyuk, you answer this phone! I can see you through the window and I know that you need to talk to someone! You can't keep your emotions to yourself. I know that you want to, but please, don't." Jaehwan started off yelling, but his voice faded to a whisper towards the end. "Hyuk... please talk to me, or Wonshik. Hyukkie..." 

Sanghyuk reached down and grabbed the phone, slowly bringing it up to his ear. "Hi, Jaehwan."

"Oh, thank you so much! Are you okay? How are you feeling?"

"Confused and tired." Sanghyuk answered honestly.

"That's understandable. You should probably sleep then."

"Yeah." His voice was muffled as he rubbed his hand over his face tiredly. 

"Okay, you get some sleep, Do you want me to stay over? I can if you need me to."

"Sorry, Jaehwan. I don't really want to be around people right now."

"Oh, alright then. I'm going to go home to Bean and I'll talk to you first thing in the morning, alright?"

"Alright. Let Wonshik know I'm okay, who knows what he'll do if he thinks otherwise."

"Sure. No problem. Love ya. Bye." 

Sanghyuk smiled softly and shook his head. "Love you too." He said before hanging up. 

He walked towards the bathroom, deciding to take a shower before he went to bed. He didn't take long, and was in bed less than twenty minutes after getting off the phone with Jaehwan.

He curled up in his blanket, trying to keep him mind off everything but sleep. He failed as his thoughts went to the last time he was in his bed. Yesterday morning. It had been such a short time, but so much had been changed. His mother wasn't going to wake him up in the morning, telling him to hurry up before breakfast got cold, his father wasn't going to joke with him about college while they ate. He tried to remember their smiles, but he brain kept going back to their blood-splattered faces, eyes frozen in a split second of horror before their deaths. Before he knew it, Sanghyuk was crying, tears rolling down his face in a seemingly endless river.

It's okay, Sanghyuk. He heard a voice that sounded like the man from his dream say. He panicked, looking around his room for an intruder, but finding none. I'm not in the room. 

Sanghyuk felt a small amount of relief upon hearing that, though not enough to feel at ease. Should he try to talk to this voice? Or ignore it completely?

It doesn't matter, honestly. You could ignore me or talk to me, although I would prefer you not ignore me.

Sanghyuk blinked. Unsure of what to do, he thought about it for a moment. If the voice knew everything he was thinking, then he needed to figure out how, right? But, there was also the chance that he was going crazy. He sighed, there was no way he wasn't going crazy, right?

You aren't crazy. I told you earlier, you and I have a mental link. You're parents would have explained... If they... The man didn't try to explain any further.

If I'm not crazy, then can we meet like we did before? Sanghyuk thought hesitantly.

That would be... difficult. It takes a lot of energy, and after earlier I am tired. So, are you.

Sanghyuk sighed. Yeah, I am, but I can't sleep. My parents' bodies... the blood... that disgusting man. I can't keep them out of my head.

Stop it. You need to think about other things.

I can't! I just told you that!

Suddenly Sanghyuk's mind filled with images of a young boy running around in a yard. He was holding a bubble wand, joyfully giggling as giant bubbles were formed. Sanghyuk couldn't help but smile at the bright, happy look on the child's face. His mind was filled with cheerful scenes until he fell asleep, not able to focus on his parents' deaths around the constant laughter and grins from the man's childhood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry for any confusion with all the mental link stuff, for clarification here are the notes I have on mental planes and connections:
> 
> Links form between certain people with the ability, generally passed down from parents.  
> Planes can be formed from links temporarily, very taxing/tiring. Creates an area where the people with the links can go.  
> Planes are affected by emotions,  
> Emotions also can be felt through links.  
> People can communicate through links.


	3. Murder Trial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hyuk gets a chance to talks to his friends, and started to fully understand what's going on. He goes to the trial for the murder, and he and Taekwoon make plans to meet.

Sanghyuk woke up early Thursday morning. It had been almost a week since his parents' deaths. He had stayed inside his house for most of that time, only leaving when he ran low on groceries and to quickly grab the mail. The bills were pilling up, he knew that his parents' money would only last for so long, and that he needed to get a job to be able to keep the house. But he debated on whether or not he wanted to even keep the house. Whenever he went into the living room, he felt as though a tiny army was waging war on his heart, on the other hand though, he didn't want to lose the memories the house held, even knowing that he wouldn't actually lose the memories.

He knew that different people grieved in different ways, but he couldn't help feeling like he wasn't grieving properly. Of course he was depressed, but he felt like he wasn't depressed enough. He had accepted that they were gone and never coming back, thinking about them made him feel like he might cry, but he never really did.

Sanghyuk sighed deeply, there were still several hours before the murder trial. He felt confident that the murderer would be sentenced to life, or if he was lucky, death. The amount of evidence against the man ensured that there was no way he was going to get away. Sanghyuk grinned, a sad smile, but still a smile. His parents' killer wouldn't be free and could never hurt anyone again. He just wished that he had never hurt anyone to begin with.

Looking around the room, he glanced at the clock, it was already eight o'clock. He hadn't gotten out of bed yet, even though he had been awake for an hour. Sighing again, he rolled off the bed, feet landing on cold wood flooring as he shuffled to the bathroom. Halfway through his shower the phone rang. He tried to hurry to finish, but the phone stopped ringing. Dressing as quickly as he could, he ran out to call the person, who ended up being Jaehwan, back. 

"Hey, Jaehwan. Sorry I was in the shower."

"Hi, Hyukkie. How are you doing?" Jaehwan said from the phone.

"Fine, what about you and Hongbin?"

"We're good... Isn't today the trial?"

"Yeah."

"Can Hongbin, Wonshik and I come over in a little while?"

"Yeah. That's fine."

"Okay, see you in a bit, bye."

"Bye." Sanghyuk hung up and returned the phone to its charging stand. 

Sanghyuk decided to, in the time that it would take his friends to get there, actually cook something other than ramen (which was over half of what he had been eating the past week). He pulled out the rice, kimchi, and eggs. The time it took him to make the Kimchi-Fried Rice that he was craving gave his friends long enough to get there, so just as he was finishing putting it on the table he heard their knocks on the front door.

"Come in!" He yelled as he set the drinks on the table to go grab glasses for everyone.

"Wow." Wonshik commented on the food he had placed on the table. 

"Good Morning, I haven't eaten anything good in the past week, so I decided to go a little crazy cooking this morning." Sanghyuk explained. "Let's eat."

They ate quietly, and it didn't take long for all the food to have disappeared. "Hyuk, how are you? Please don't say that you are fine. I want you to be completely honest." Hongbin asked, voice gentle.

"Well, I really am--" Sanghyuk stopped suddenly as the strangers voice filled his head. 

Sanghyuk, you shouldn't lie to your friends. 

"I wasn't about to lie." Sanghyuk said out loud, slapping himself mentally. He looked up awkwardly at his friends. They all were looking at him expectantly. He knew that he couldn't lie to them. He sighed, he might as well tell them what was actually going on now. "Um, actually, I don't know what I mean, I am so confused. First my parents are killed right in front of my eyes, then I pass out and pop into this freaky dream world with this man I've never even seen before, who tells me that I have mental abilities. Then, I couldn't sleep so the voice, who is the same person as the man in the dream-world, helped me and all I've eaten is ramen and I am probably going to sell the house, and I don't know what to do."

"Hyukkie, what voice in your head?" Wonshik asked, clearly confused. "Are you alright?"

"Wonshik, for right now, shut up." Hongbin said, quickly glancing at Jaehwan. "Hyuk, you have a voice, in your head? What's his name?"

"I-I don't know, he hasn't told me." Sanghyuk sighed. He had been confused about that himself since they started communicating, but he hadn't he the courage to ask him. 

My name is Taekwoon. I should have said that, I forgot that you didn't already know.

"He said just his name is Taekwoon." He relayed, looking distressed, he had just admitted to his friends that he was going crazy and he was already regretting it.

"Hyukkie, this is going to seem a little crazy, but you aren't the only one with voices, okay?" Jaehwan said.

"What is going on here? Are you pranking me?" Wonshik asked, outraged.

Sanghyuk blinked, "Why do you know this?"

Jaehwan answered for him, reaching over and grabbing Hongbin's hand. "Hongbin and I are soul mates. Thankfully, we haven't had traumatizing happen to us. We just kinda, found each other."

Sanghyuk, I was planning on telling you all this. I was waiting for a better time, when you were less... confused. I realize that I should have told you, I'm sorry. But let's meet formally now. Hello, Sanghyuk. I am Taekwoon. I'm your soul mate. 

"Hey, Hongbin hyung, how do I... talk to him?"

"Well, you can either mentally talk to him or you can physically talk. Although, if you do it physically than you should be careful so people don't think you're crazy."

Nodding to himself, Sanghyuk thought, Hi... Taekwoon... I'm Sanghyuk... Nice to finally officially meet you.

Wonshik was staring at them with a look of bewilderment on his face, blinking rapidly with his mouth slightly open.

"We broke Wonshik. Are you all right?" Jaehwan asked before turning to Hongbin. "This is a lot to drop on someone, especially considering he doesn't have the ability to communicate mentally with his soul mate."

"Wait, what? I have a soul mate too?" Wonshik exclaimed.

"Yes, Wonshik, everyone has a soul mate, most people just don't find them or know about them." Hongbin said, almost dismissive. "I think we should leave now. It's going on ten o'clock, and Hyuk should get some time to talk to Taekwoon."

They all stood up, except Sanghyuk, who continued to stare at Hongbin. "You're going to explain this to Wonshik, right?"

"Yeah, it'll be a little complicated, but it's only fair." Hongbin sighed.

"Okay, good luck."

"You too. If you need anything, you can call us... or Taekwoon. You should probably talk to him first, he would probably help more."

"Okay... Thanks, hyung."

"No problem."

"I'll see you tomorrow then?" Sanghyuk asked, not sure if he wanted to return to his reclusive state.

"If you want to, definitely." Jaehwan said, nodding.

After his friends left Sanghyuk sighed, he hadn't been planning on telling them any of what he had just told them. He had wanted to pretend like none of it was really happening until he couldn't anymore. Well, he couldn't take it back now, and even if he could, he didn't think he wanted to. Talking to Hongbin and Jaehwan had really solidified that he wasn't going crazy and that this was real. Even though talking to them had clarified a lot, he still wasn't ready to have a full conversation in his head. 

Absentmindedly he walked back into his bedroom and laid down, staring at the ceiling. By the time he remembered that he had to go the trial he had to rush to get ready. He threw on a plain white t-shirt and a one his few clean pairs of pants before running out the door. He ended up getting to the courthouse only five minutes before it was about to start, and only because he sped in a few areas.

He had never been to a courthouse before, so he didn't really know how to behave there, so he settled for staying stiff and silent, only speaking when someone asked him a question or he had to. The process had seemed to drag on forever, but it finally after three hours it was over. As he had thought, the man was convicted and and sentenced to life in prison. This way he never had to see the disgusting maniac again.

On the drive home his thoughts wandered, not focusing on any one topic, just flitting around like a hummingbird. They briefly landed on Hongbin and Jaehwan before flying to his parents, resting for a short time and then resuming their flight until they reached Taekwoon. Taekwoon. He thought, that was a nice name, it suited it's owner. Thinking back, Sanghyuk was surprised he could remember the other male's face so well. But, then again, he hadn't ever seen anyone who he had found as attractive as his soul mate. His high cheekbones, jet black hair, and feline eyes combined to form an alluring man. He shook his head, he couldn't keep thinking about Taekwoon's appearance if he wanted to make it home safely.

Sanghyuk felt a wave of happiness pass through him, it shocked him for a moment, because, all though he was happier then he had been for the past week, he wasn't that happy. Why would he suddenly feel so light-hearted?

Taekwoon... Sanghyuk thought, reaching out with his mind.

I'm sorry, Sanghyuk, I didn't mean to startle you. I had been trying to keep my emotions under control. As soul mates, we can feel each other's strongest emotions.

Sanghyuk took a breath in relief at hearing the soft, calm voice. Thank you for telling me that. He thought about what could have made him so happy.

You did. That's the first time you thought of me as your soul mate. And, by the way, I think you're alluring too. Taekwoon spoke, emphasizing the word alluring, as Sanghyuk pulled into his driveway. Sanghyuk blushed and looked down as he put the car in park. He quickly took his key from the ignition and exited the car.

Once he got inside the house he walked around with analytical eyes. The white carpet of living room looked clean and unused, there was no couch, and the TV had barely been touched for the past week. The kitchen was clean, all of the dishes (not including the ones from breakfast) were washed and in their appropriate places. The bathroom, hallway, laundry room, bedrooms... every single room in the whole house, except his bedroom, looked sterile and lifeless. The only reason his bedroom didn't look the same as the rest of the house was because of the dirty clothes scattered around and unmade bed. I can't live like this... Sanghyuk thought.

You don't have to, you can live with me. I have an apartment... If you want-- The thought ended abruptly, leaving Sanghyuk concerned. He reached out for Taekwoon, looking for his mind. He wouldn't want to stay with me, why would he? We've never even met in person! 

Sanghyuk could tell that the other male was saying the words out loud and hadn't intended for them to be heard. Sanghyuk thought about it for a moment, if they truly were soul mates, they would have to meet sooner or later. So, why not sooner than later? Sure, I wouldn't mind moving in with you. Sanghyuk felt another wave of emotions hit him, the main feeling was excitement mixed with relief and concern. 

Really? You don't think--

No. Sanghyuk thought, cutting him off. He rushed to grab something to write on and with. Give me a second to get a paper and pen, I am not doing all the planning for the move solely in our heads... Okay I got it, now, first off, what's your address?

They spent a large portion of the afternoon planning the move, thankfully, Taekwoon's apartment was only about a half an hour away so they wouldn't have to move anything too far. And, it was close enough that Sanghyuk's friends could still visit on a regular basis. Both of them were nervous to meet, but didn't want to put it off so they decided that Sanghyuk would pack everything that night and the next day, and hopefully they would have all the boxes moved to Taekwoon's by the next evening. And, even though he wasn't sure he wanted to, he knew he needed to sell the house and furniture.

Sanghyuk packed up all of his belongings that night, there wasn't much he wanted to keep. Over the next few weeks he would sell and/or give away most of the items that remained in the house, before eventually selling that too.

He fell asleep that night imagining what it would be like to meet Taekwoon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! ^-^ Okay, I wanted to update sooner, but I had to actually finish the chapter... which I didn't do until now... *scolds self for laziness*
> 
> I don't know if anyone has read The Grey Wolves series, but the mental communication and abilities in this story are similar to those in that series (but there is no shifting and they are not werewolves). Also, I don't know how long this story is going to be, I don't think it is going to be that long... Maybe 5 or 6 chapters, I won't know for sure until I finish my planning. And finally, to any Got7 fans, I have a Yugbam oneshot written, and would like to know if any one would actually want to read it. I haven't posted it yet, but I'm thinking about it...
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment, constructive criticism is welcome. Thank you for reading!


	4. Moving Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanghyuk and Taekwoon move in together.

Sanghyuk woke up frequently throughout the night and couldn’t stay resting for longer than a few minutes at a time. He imagined meeting Taekwoon in person for the first time. Although he had seen the other man, he thought it was more important to meet outside of their minds. All his belongings were packed and ready to be loaded into his car. He had called Jaehwan after they had finished arranging the move. Physically, he was completely ready to for the move. Mentally, he wasn’t even close. After being bombarded with event after event for the past week, he didn’t feel ready for anything.  
So, the next morning, when it was finally late enough that he could reasonably start loading his car, he did. The process didn’t take very long, and it was only nine-thirty when he was done. He could always visit Jaehwan and Hongbin.  
He went back inside the house to grab the cell phone he hadn’t touched in the last week, along with his wallet and keys. He got into the car before he unlocked the device, went into contacts and selected Jaehwan’s number, the phone rang several times before his friend answered.   
“Hey. Hyukkie, what’s up?” Jaehwan asked, sounding tired. He and Hongbin had probably stayed up late.  
“I was hoping I could come over… Is that okay?”  
“Oh! Yeah. That’s perfect! One sec…” There were muffled noises as Jaehwan moved the phone around, he probably put it against his chest. “Hongbin, get your lazy butt up. Hyukkie is coming over.”  
“Why?” Hongbin’s voice could be heard faintly, sounding as if he wasn’t even really awake. “He can wait, right? I wanna cuddle today. Jaehwan, come back to bed. You’re warm.”  
“No, he can’t wait. Get up! If you do, I’ll make breakfast today.” Jaehwan bribed.  
“You do that anyway. Come here. We might have time for a nap before he gets here.” Hongbin said.  
Sanghyuk grinned, Hongbin was so lazy.  
“Hongbin,” Jaehwan said. “You have to get up. I’ll give you one minute Binnie… Hyukkie is on still on the line. Okay! Hyukkie, I’m back. You can come over”  
“I heard you. I’ll be over in a while.”   
“Okay. See you in a bit.”  
Why are you up already? Taekwoon’s voice filled his head.  
I had a hard time sleeping. I’m going to go to Hongbin and Jaehwan’s house before coming to your apartment, if you don’t mind I’m going to give them the address. Sanghyuk thought while backing out of the driveway.  
Yeah, that’s fine. Just make sure they know to call before they visit.   
Okay, I will. I’m driving now. So I’ll talk to you later. The drive to Jaehwan’s didn’t take very long, and when he got there he made sure to knock briefly before entering.   
“Come on in!” He heard Jaehwan yell, probably from the kitchen. “I’m just finishing breakfast.”   
Sanghyuk walked through the house until he found Hongbin sitting down, ready to eat. Jaehwan was still in the kitchen but could be seen putting the finishing touches on the meal.  
“So, is there a certain reason you wanted to come over?” Hongbin asked. Sanghyuk could tell that he was concerned.  
“No, not really. I just wanted to talk to you two some, maybe get your opinions.”  
“On what? The move?” Jaehwan prodded gently while reaching towards the nearest dish.  
“Yeah, I want to meet him, but do you think it’s too soon, it hasn’t even been a week…” Sanghyuk's voice trailed off as he realized that tomorrow would officially mark one week since his parent's death. It didn’t feel like it had been a week, it felt longer. Maybe is was because time had dragged on during his self-imposed solitary confinement. He sighed, no point focusing on that. They were gone, and there wasn’t anything he could do about it but try to cope.  
“I think it’s a good thing,” Hongbin said slowly. “Meeting him might help you stop focusing on… everything.”  
“I would have to agree. It does no good to dwell on it.” Jaehwan’s face suddenly lit up. “Oh! I forgot to ask! Is he cute?”  
Sanghyuk blushed slightly as their conversation from the day before came to mind. He felt a swell of anticipation. He knew that Taekwoon was waiting for his answer. Hearing it from his mind was one thing, hearing him tell his friends was slightly different. “I wouldn’t say cute…” Sanghyuk tried to find the right word. “More like gorgeous…” He whispered the last bit, though apparently not low enough for Hongbin and Jaehwan to not hear him.  
Both other males mouth’s spread into giant grins, they exchanged a glance before looking back at Sanghyuk. He could feel that Taekwoon was overly happy with his response too.  
“You two are acting creepy. Pass me the tea, please.” He said.  
“Here you go,” Hongbin said still grinning while handing the drink over. Sanghyuk ignored them while he ate. Realizing he wasn’t going to say anything further about his soulmate’s appearance, Jaehwan pouted.   
The three didn’t take very long to finish their breakfast, Sanghyuk stayed to help clean off the table, but he knew that if he wanted to get everything done then he would need to leave.  
“Well, I have got to leave… Oh! Before I go, here… is… the address,” He mumbled while struggling to get the address from his pocket where he had put it earlier.  
“Thanks,” Hongbin said, grabbing the paper. He threw a devilish smirk at Jaehwan. “We’ll come visit soon.”  
“You two are awful.” Sanghyuk said, “Call before you come. Taekwoon doesn’t want surprise guests.”  
“We will. Good luck, Hyukkie.” Jaehwan said. Then he started wiping pretend tears from his face. “My baby has grown up so well.”  
Sanghyuk rolled his eyes, “Bye, hyung.”  
♦♦♦  
Sanghyuk had been sitting in the parking lot outside Taekwoon’s apartment for exactly fifteen minutes. Usually, he wouldn’t have kept track, but, in this case, he had been staring at the time on the dashboard of his car the whole time.  
His radio was off, so the only noise that could be heard in the car was the air conditioner. He shivered. He had the cold air turned on to the maximum level to combat the heat, but now it yelled at him to get out of the vehicle and go to where it was warmer. He finally turned the key and the car seemed to sigh in relief.  
He slowly opened his door. He knew that Taekwoon was aware that he was outside because he could tell that Taekwoon was near. Sanghyuk could feel his presence heavy in his mind, heavier than it was when they had been further. It wasn’t a bad feeling though, and he knew that if he felt it, Taekwoon definitely did.  
He walked into the building, passing countless doors before he found the elevator. He could barely tell he was moving his limbs as he entered and pressed the button to got to the fifth floor.  
He couldn’t decide if the elevator was taking too long or not long enough as he steadily moved upwards. There had been many times that he had been nervous, but he couldn't’ remember a time that he had been this nervous. He was about to meet his soulmate, whom he would be spending the rest of his life with.  
There was no point putting off the inevitable. Sanghyuk took a deep breath as the number on the wall changed from four to five.  
The elevator dinged and the doors slowly slid open. Sanghyuk slowly walked toward apartment 48B. It was on his left when he found it.  
He lifted his hand and, wrapping it into a fist, knocked softly.  
The door opened quickly, it was apparent that the owner of the apartment had been waiting. Sanghyuk’s eyes rose to meet the eyes of Taekwoon. This time, they were looking at each other. Not at a dream self, not at a childhood version, not into each other’s minds.   
“Hi.” Taekwoon smiled.  
“Hey.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay! I wasn’t planning on ending it so abruptly, but it feels right to end it here. Also, I did write the last part of this chapter kinda dramatically, but I think it works. 
> 
>  
> 
> I’ve really enjoyed writing the story. I might write an epilogue or another chapter at a later date, so if you want that please let me know.
> 
>  
> 
> I do have other stories in the making, but I’m not sure if I’ll be posting them. Currently, I am a junior in high school which means that the SAT is coming up. YAY! Not. *soft crying sounds* So, I won’t be writing much for a while. I’ll still be writing though. I’m working on another luck story in which Leo is a scientist (real creative, I know) and a Seventeen wonzi story where Jihoon is an assassin, as well as several other things. If anybody is interested in those, feel free to pm me, subscribe to my stories and/or I can add a chapter here saying when I post them (assuming I do).
> 
>  
> 
> Thank you for reading, and I apologize for the long author’s note.


	5. Bonus/Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sanghyuk and Taekwoon host a little Christmas dinner.  
> P.S. I know it is too early for Christmas (for now) but my teacher put me in the mood (by playing Christmas music like a week ago).

"Hyuk-ah, Jaehwan and Hongbin are on their way over, and Wonshik and Hakyeon are supposed to be coming after Hakyeon gets out of work," Taekwoon informed Sanghyuk as he passed by on his way to the kitchen. 

Sanghyuk groaned and dropped his head onto the desk in front of him. He officially hated college. He had numerous projects that he was working on and several tests or exams coming up. It was the holidays for goodness sakes, wasn't he supposed to get a break?

"You know there are no breaks," Taekwoon yelled from across the apartment. 

Damn mind-reading boyfriends, Sanghyuk thought viciously, projecting it to Taekwoon. He could hear the older male chuckling as he moved across the apartment to stand behind Sanghyuk's chair.

"You love me, mind-reading and all," Taekwoon whispered into his ear. He planted a quick kiss on Sanghyuk's cheek. "Finish what you're working on and help me set the table."

Sanghyuk finally lifted his head, at least he was almost finished. After what had felt like a lot longer than four years, he was finally graduating college. He was in his last semester and then he was off into the real, non-school related, world. If it wasn't for Taekwoon, he would be terrified. Taekwoon had everything figured out and had been an anchor for Sanghyuk to cling on for years.

He took a second to clear his thoughts before setting back to work. Thankfully, it didn't take him much longer and he finished before Taekwoon was finished cooking. He rubbed his eyes tiredly with the back of his hands before starting to get out plates.

A few minutes after Sanghyuk set down the last piece of silverware, he heard a series of knocks on the door. "Jaehwan and Hongbin are here." He declared before nearly skipping to the door. Why don't we have music playing? He questioned while making his way to the door.

You were working and I haven't had time, Taekwoon informed him.

Ah, okay. I'll get it in a second, Sanghyuk thought as he opened the door.

"Hyukkie! I've missed you." Jaehwan exclaimed as he hugged Sanghyuk. "You've been studying so much lately." 

"I know., I can't help it. Why don't you sit down? We're going to be watching Christmas in August after we eat, but we-- actually, I shouldn't say 'we'-- Taek is still cooking." Sanghyuk left the doorway and, pausing briefly to put on some Christmas music, led Hongbin and Jaehwan to the dining table. "Do you want me to help with anything?" He asked Taekwoon

"No, everything is almost done."

"You are turning away help?" Jaehwan looked horrified as he and Hongbin sat down. "Hongbin never even offers."

"Yes, I do!" Hongbin yelled.

"Oh, yeah? Give me an example."

"That one time when you were making... that thing... with the... Okay, fine, I don't." Hongbin pouted.

"Ha! I win." Jaehwan laughed victoriously.

Sanghyuk rolled his eyes. Drama Queens.

Definitely. Thank you for offering to help though, Taekwoon turned around and gave Sanghyuk a brief grin before resuming to stir the food.

"Hey, we may not be able to hear you, but we can tell when you're talking." Hongbin pointed out. "You better not be mocking us."

"We would never dream of it," Sanghyuk smirked.

"They were mocking us," Jaehwan stated.

"Of course they were," Hongbin replied. "Anyway, when are Wonshik and Hakyeon going to get here?"

"They are going to be late. Hakyeon is working." Taekwoon explained.

"Again? He is always working late." Jaehwan whined.

"Well, that's what you get for owning a restaurant," Sanghyuk stated. "They should get here soon, though."

"Good, I'm hungry," Jaehwan whined.

"How's school been going Hyuk?" Hongbin asked suddenly.

"Pretty good, I've been busy, but it hasn't been too bad."

"That's good. What about you Taek, how's work been?"

"Fine, a bit slow actually. There's not much work this time of year." Taekwoon said while pulling the food of the stovetop.

"Really? I would have thought the--" Hongbin didn't finish his thought as he was interrupted.

"Oh, look Shikkie! We are just in time for the food! We didn't miss anything important." Hakyeon walked into the apartment without knocking and loudly made his presence known.

Wonshik followed much more quietly and greeted everyone. "Hey, guys. Sorry we're late."

They all dismissed his apology with an 'it's no problem' or 'it's fine' as the group sat down around the table. Sanghyuk helped Taekwoon place all the food and while they were eating they kept up casual chatter. They complained about work and school, told each other about how their families were doing, recounted humorous stories of what had happened since they had last met up, and talked about other light-hearted topics until someone brought up marriage.

"So, when are you guys planning on getting engaged?" 

All eyes turned to Sanghyuk who coughed as he choked on the bite he had been trying to take. "W-what?" He stuttered as he continues to cough loudly.

"When are you and Taekwoon going to get engaged?" Jaehwan repeated unhelpfully. "I mean seriously, even Wonshik and Hakyeon are engaged and they have been together half the time you two have."

"We haven't talked about it much," Taekwoon said softly.

Sanghyuk looked at Taekwoon. He could feel that Taekwoon wanted to be engaged, and Sanghyuk knew he would do anything for Taekwoon. If that meant going out the day after tomorrow (because he knew jewelry stores wouldn't be open tomorrow) to look at rings, then that's what they would do.

Taekwoon smiled, "Let's do that."

Everyone at the table looked between Sanghyuk and Taekwoon in confusion. He ignored them and stared at Taekwoon. "Do what?"

"Let's go look at rings the day after tomorrow."

Sanghyuk blushed. "Damn mind-reading boyfriends," he mumbled.

"You know you love me." Taekwoon and Sanghyuk smiled at each other.

"Yeah, I guess I do."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was shooting for short and fluffy, did it work? I suck at fluff... This was supposed to have taken place four years after the rest of the story and Luck is finally going to get engaged! Also, at some point in those four years, Wonshik, the little fluff nugget, met Hakyeon, the loud-mouth goofball.
> 
>  
> 
> I really don't know what to say other than 'thank you'. Thank you all for following this (probably terrible) story until the end. If anybody has any writing advice or advice specific to this story, I am more than happy to get other people's opinions and improve my writing. 
> 
> Thank you again,
> 
> Annie <3

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: So, a little explaining...
> 
> 1\. In this story, Hyuk likes sweaters, so that's why he is wearing one in July.
> 
> 2\. The killer is supposed to be insane, that's why he answered himself. And I was hinting that something worse could have happened, but I couldn't do that to Hyukkie. *shudders*
> 
> 3\. There was a patrol car nearby, so when they heard the gunshots, they were able to get there quickly.
> 
>  
> 
> And lastly, a question: Should I add more description to their day out? I personally think that the beach and ice cream feels rushed, but I also feel that it might be appropriate for it to be rushed...? I don't know...


End file.
